1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to public pay telephones and, more particularly, to a telephone handset dispenser for dispensing a telephone handset upon insertion of an implement, such as an ordinary credit card, into an opening in the dispenser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of credit card operated pay telephones are currently known. Furthermore, a number of these telephones have been specifically designed for use by passengers in mass transit applications.
One example of a telephone used in mass transit applications is called the "cabin phone". Typically, a single cabin phone is installed on a wall near the front or the rear of a vehicle such as a commercial aircraft. The cabin phone comprises a cordless telephone handset, a credit card reader, and a housing for the handset and the credit card reader. A passenger initiates a call by placing a credit card into the credit card reader, whereupon the handset is dispensed. The caller may then return to his or her seat and place a call using the handset. After completion of the call, the caller returns the handset to the cabin phone whereupon the credit card reader releases the credit card so that the caller can retrieve it.
The cabin phone has a number of limitations. First, electromagnetic noise from electrical equipment aboard the airplane often interferes with reception of the cabin phone handset because of its cordless design. Therefore, telephone pay stations that are free from electrical interference are needed for use by passengers in mass transit applications.
Another limitation of the cabin phone when considered for use aboard commercial aircraft is that space constraints aboard commercial aircraft usually preclude installation of more than two of the cabin phones. As a result, only two passengers at a time can place calls. Furthermore, each caller must leave his or her seat in order to use the cabin phone. Therefore, telephone pay stations are needed to enable several passengers to place calls simultaneously without leaving their seats.
Another class of pay telephones intended for use by passengers in mass transit applications is a "seat-mounted" phone. The seat-mounted phone is used in a system that includes several pay telephone housings installed in seat backs of the seats aboard a vehicle such as a commercial aircraft. A passenger uses a seat-mounted phone located in one of the seat backs of the row directly in front of the passenger. When the passenger inserts a credit card into an opening provided in the pay telephone housing for that purpose, a telephone handset is dispensed from a storage trough formed within the housing. The handset is connected to the housing by a retractable cord which is spooled upon a cylindrical cord reel. The cord reel itself is, in a typical construction, mounted off center with respect to the ends of the storage trough so that the cord exits the cord reel tangentially to the circular perimeter of the cord reel, thereafter continuing longitudinally into the storage trough without bending.
Examples of seat-mounted phones as discussed above are shown and described in the following patents and patent applications: U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,254, entitled "Hand-Held Pay Telephone and Holder", to Goeken et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,387, entitled "Holder and Credit-Card Unlatching Mechanism for a Hand-Held Telephone", to Hollowed et al.; and Ser. No. 288,940, entitled "Holder and Latching Mechanism for a Hand-Held Telephone", filed Dec. 23, 1988 in the name of Jerome L. Oldani.
While seat-mounted phones as referred to and described above and in the above-mentioned patents and patent application meet most passenger requirements, there are some passenger requirements that are not fully satisfied by such phones. In particular, since seat-mounted phone installations are designed specifically for seat backs, passengers seated directly behind the bulkhead do not have a seat-mounted phone available for their use. It would be a benefit, therefore, to provide passengers seated directly behind bulkheads with access to telephones for their own use.
An additional design constraint of the seat-mounted phone results from the fact that the cord must exit the cord reel tangentially to the cord reel's circular perimeter in order to continue longitudinally without bending into the center of one of the storage trough's ends. As a consequence of this design constraint, the seat-mounted phone must have a greater vertical dimension than might be preferred for aircraft applications and is therefore less compact than might be desired given the constraints of space limitations in a commercial aircraft environment. Thus, a more compact telephone pay station for use by mass transit passengers would have value for the bulkhead applications discussed above.
Another design constraint of the seat-mounted phone as described above is that the housing is constructed from two pieces. The two pieces must be formed separately and then welded or otherwise joined together. Clearly, it would be preferable to have a unitary, one-piece housing for the telephone pay station.
Another class of pay telephones intended for mass transit applications is called the "armrest-mounted phone". The armrest-mounted phone is used in a system including several pay telephone housings installed beneath armrests of the seats of a vehicle such as a commercial aircraft. A passenger uses an armrest-mounted phone mounted in either of the two armrests between which the passenger is seated. When the caller inserts a credit card into an opening provided in the pay telephone housing for that purpose, a telephone handset is dispensed from a storage trough formed within the housing. The handset is connected to the dispenser by a retractable cord which is spooled upon a cord reel.
Examples of armrest telephones as discussed above are described and shown in the following U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 278,391, entitled "Dispenser and Unlatching Mechanism for a Hand-Held Pay Station Telephone", filed Dec. 1, 1988 in the names of Edward J. Hollowed and Jerome L. Oldani; Ser. No. 278,392, entitled "Pay Station Telephone and Dispenser for a Commercial Conveyance", filed Dec. 1, 1988 in the names of Edward J. Hollowed and Jerome L. Oldani; and Ser. No. 278,393, entitled "A Hand-Held Pay Station Telephone Dispenser and Cord Retractor", filed Dec. 1, 1988 in the names of Edward J. Hollowed and Jerome L. Oldani.
While the armrest-mounted phones as referred to and described above and in the aforementioned patent applications meet most passenger requirements, they too have certain design constraints which limit their use in applications contemplated by the present invention. First, to accommodate the armrest-mounted phone, the armrest to which the phone is to be attached must be enlarged substantially. Second, if the armrest accommodating the armrest-mounted phone is raised to its concealed position between the two seats to which the armrest is attached, for example, to give passengers in adjacent seats greater freedom of movement or to permit a passenger to lie across two or more seats, the phone hardware of the armrest-mounted phone will protrude from between the seats and possibly inconvenience the passengers from the standpoint of comfort. Furthermore, convenient use of an armrest-mounted phone is limited to the two passengers seated adjacent the armrest to which the phone is attached.